Santo
Domingo Pueblo artists are famous for their skill in making hand rolled and
cut beads known as heishi.
Made from shell, turquoise, and other stones, they are painstakingly cut by hand
into delicate beads and strung on necklaces.

James
Del Coriz and Dolorita G. Coriz of Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico make jewelry
in the traditional Santo Domingo way and use excellent Kingman and Sleeping Beauty
Turquoise. The beads are hand cut and turned and show excellent character and
workmanship. Read
more about the artists...

What
is stabilized turquoise?

Often in
heishi necklaces and other nugget necklaces, the turquoise has been stabilized.
This means that a natural turquoise nugget has been treated with a stabilizing
agent that closes the pores of the stone so it will not change color or fracture.
This allows the artist to use smaller beads for necklaces; they would otherwise
fracture if not stabilized. It also means your turquoise jewelry will look just
as bright and beautiful years from now as from the day you purchased it. Natural
turquoise, although beautiful, can deteriorate over time, losing color and stability.
Most heishi and nugget necklaces use stabilized turquoise for this reason. Read
more about heishi here: All
About Heishi.